embarrassment
Americannoun
-
embarrassments
plural
-
the state of being embarrassed; disconcertment; abashment.
- Synonyms:
- discomposure
-
an act or instance of embarrassing.
-
something that embarrasses.
-
an overwhelmingly excessive amount; overabundance.
an embarrassment of riches.
-
the state of being in financial difficulties.
-
Medicine/Medical. impairment of functioning associated with disease.
respiratory embarrassment.
noun
-
the state of being embarrassed
-
something that embarrasses
-
a financial predicament
-
an excessive amount; superfluity
Synonym Usage
See shame.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of embarrassment
From the French word embarrassement, dating back to 1670–80. See embarrass, -ment
Explanation
When you feel embarrassment, you are self-conscious or ashamed. Embarrassment might keep you from wearing your Statue of Liberty Halloween costume in public. Something that makes you blush — like when ten people rush up to tell you how great your tuba solo was or realizing that you left the house in your pajama bottoms — causes you embarrassment. The person or thing that makes you feel awkward and ashamed can also be described as an embarrassment. To avoid embarrassment, remember to double the r's and s's when you spell embarrassment.
Vocabulary lists containing embarrassment
Emotions on Display
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Much Ado: Synonyms for "Many"
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"One Crazy Summer" by Rita Williams-Garcia, List 1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
People feel empathetic embarrassment for robots in uncomfortable situations.
From Slate ● Sep. 27, 2026
Bono jumps in to save his friend's embarrassment….
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
Stevie calls a heartbroken Gretta to the stage to perform, and she reluctantly complies before giving up in embarrassment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
The grad students were learning what dementia researchers had suspected for years: With FTD, embarrassment, or shame, disappears.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
I don’t know what she’s talking about, and I’m filled with the feeling that has become familiar in my encounters with her: embarrassment.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
The Duchess of York has so far been the great survivor of the royal world, bouncing back from embarrassments that would have sunk many others.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2025
The moves by Khanna and Veasy put Republicans in an awkward spot, but they are likely just symbolic embarrassments.
From Salon ● Jul. 14, 2025
Why not say it because you know everybody’s thinking it, from those envious little brothers down in San Diego to the expensive embarrassments in New York.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 23, 2025
It was one of a number of major embarrassments for the 23,500-capacity venue, the UK's largest indoor arena.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2024
They both had enough embarrassments; not everything needed calling out.
From "We'll Fly Away" by Bryan Bliss
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
